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Saturday, June 15, 2013

President-General, Association of Nigerian Market Women and Men, Abibatu Mogaji, on Saturday died at 96.

Mogaji was the mother of former governor of Lagos State and National Leader, Action Congress of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu.

A statement issued said she would be buried on Sunday (today), at the Ikoyi Vaults and Gardens, Lagos.

Mogaji recently received an honorary Doctorate Degree from the Ahmadu Bello University during its 50th anniversary.

Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, described the death of the matriarch as a great loss to millions of people.

In a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Osun State, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the governor said Mogaji’s death would leave a big vacuum both in politics and commercial sectors of not only Lagos State but Nigeria at large.

It was encomium galore when Provost Ilesanmi Adesida was honored at the Urban-Champaign campus of the University of Illinois, United States where Nigerian-Americans gathered to celebrate his elevation as the first African to head an Ivy League school in the country.

Speakers at the occasion urged him to use the position and knowledge to effect changes in the developing world.

“You’ve served with great integrity and brilliance in all the positions you’ve held in the United States for the past 26 years,” Dr. Abiola Akanbi said while urging him to direct his energy, knowledge and his current unique position to effect dramatic but positive changes in Nigeria and the developing world.

Tens of thousands took to the streets of Tehran on Saturday evening to celebrate the election of moderate cleric Hassan Rowhani as president, with chanting pro-reform slogans and demanding more freedom. Large crowds were converging in main streets and squares, as security forces and police units looked on.

Thousands of cars honked their horns throughout the capital, and many people were dressed in purple, Rowhani's campaign colour. Some even handed out purple balloons to the crowd.

"We said no to commander, we said no to mayor, (we chose) the courageous Rowhani," people chanted.

That was a reference to two defeated candidates, ex-Revolutionary Guards chief Mohsen Rezai and Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, both hailing from the conservative camp.

The police have fired water cannon and tear gas to drive away protesters from both Istanbul’s Taksim Square and Gezi Park, hours after Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan demanded the square to be “evacuated.” Protesters claim multiple injuries.

Several people have been taken away in ambulances after being loaded onto stretchers, RT reports from Istanbul.

The crowd, which had been chanting: "Everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance," was sent scrambling by the police, the latest escalation of tensions in more than two weeks of mass anti-government demos.

Turkish PM warns security forces will evict Istanbul park protesters

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan warned protesters occupying a central Istanbul park that they should leave before a ruling party rally on Sunday or face eviction by the security forces.

"We have our Istanbul rally tomorrow. I say it clearly: Taksim Square must be evacuated, otherwise this country's security forces know how to evacuate it," Erdogan told tens of thousands of supporters at a rally in the capital Ankar

Protesters took to the streets in Hong Kong Saturday to show their support for NSA leaker Edward Snowden and demand a "thorough explanation" of the secret surveillance program he exposed. Roughly 200 people braved the rain to march to the U.S. consulate, chanting "Free Snowden" and "Arrest Obama." Others carried large posters with pictures under the headline "Big brother is watching you."

Outside the U.S. consulate, demonstrators blew their whistles saying they "were all whistle-blowers today," then handed over a letter to Consul General Steve Young, demanding an end to all surveillance of "innocent internet users" under the NSA program.

"The idea of mass surveillance not only violates the right to privacy and human dignity, but threatens the very fundamental Human Rights of freedom of thought, opinion, expression and association," the letter said.

US allegations about the use of chemical weapons reinforce the need for UN inspectors to be deployed to Syria, and for increased efforts to find a political solution to the conflict, the European Union has declared. Following the claims US President Barack Obama has given the green light to sending US weapons to Syrian rebels after the White House said it has proof the Syrian government used chemical weapons against opposition forces.

This became the “red line” that Barack Obama was talking about when threatening to initiate military intervention into Syria.

For more in this I'm joined on the phone by Richard Heydarian, a Manila-based foreign affairs analyst.

Detectives in Asaba, Delta State capital, have arrested a popular big girl in the city and hotel workers over the death of a business man inside the hotel room where he was lodged.

Police spokesman in the state, ASP Lucky Uyabaeme, said the 35-year-old man identified as Peter died under mysterious circumstances after having an "affair" with the lady in the hotel.

It was gathered that the victim, a Lagos-based businessman, was in Delta state for some business deals and later contacted a friend of his to “arrange” a sweet lady for him...It was learnt that the friend assisted the deceased to check into the popular hotel (name withheld) with the big girl named Stella and after an interaction the businessman and Stella went into the hotel bar for hours before they entered into the hotel room while the contact man retired to the bar.

Less than two weeks after a Nigeria cab driver was shot dead in Washington DC (if you missed it, read it HERE) another one has been killed...this time in New York.

54 year old Orji Ama Uro from Ekoli Edda, Ebonyi State, was brutally stabbed in the eye with an umbrella after dropping off two people, a man and a woman, in Brooklyn around 5pm on Thursday June 13th. The point of the umbrella pierced Ama Uro's brain, killing him.

Eye witnesses told police that the man and woman came down from the cab on Thomas S. Boyland St. in Brownsville and immediately started arguing with the cab driver. The man, believed to be in his 20s, then stabbed Uro in the right eye with an umbrella, piercing his brain. Continue After The Break.

A 200level Mathematics student of the University of Benin known as Snazzy was shot in the head by an unknown gun man around 2pm yesterday afternoon during the biometrics registration held in the university sports complex. Eye witnesses say the gunman dropped the gun and disappeared into the crowd before he could be identified. Snazzy was immediately rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Don't know for sure if he died or survived. Will update as soon as I have confirmation.

Governors Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, have finally commenced a serious discussion with the leadership of the mega opposition party, APC, in preparation to officially dump the ruling PDP and pitch their tent with the APC ahead of 2015.

This big political move was revealed by the Interim Chairman of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in Katsina State, Alhaji Farouq Adamu Aliyu. Speaking during the inauguration of the CPC local governments interim committees on Thursday, Alhaji Aliyu added that:

“More PDP governors, whom I don’t want to mention their names, have also indicated their interest in APC and I am sure they will soon come out and tell the world their intentions. Our door is open for any interested PDP governor to come and join the wagon of the APC.

A retired soldier, yesterday murdered his wife, Mrs Onyonishoyi Ukana-Nee Akarutu, in Igarra Community of Akoko –Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, following her refusal to allow him marry his long time mistress.

Ukana, a retired Warrant Officer 2, was said to have macheted his wife at about 1am Friday morning dismembering her body. Sources close to the family said their 18 year old son also sustained several machete cuts in an attempt to rescue his mother.

His son was reported to have raised an alarm which attracted neighbours in the night when his mother’s moan in agony, as she was being butchered by his father woke him up.